Teacher training in the area of adult literacy in Botswana

The Slovenian Institute for Adult Education continued its professional work of participation in teacher training in the area of adult literacy in 2005 with the help of the Unesco participation programme and the financial support from the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO by establishing collaboration with the University in Gaborone and the Ministry of Education in Botswana.

It was found tat certain activities, approaches and concrete development programmes for non-formal adult education developed in Slovenia are also interesting for a young and rapidly developing country like Botswana. These areas concerned the forms of learning and concrete adult learning programmes that caused a change in an individual’s position on the labour market; they also encouraged local development, mainly the forms of cooperation between individual sectors in politics, between politics and professional institutions and education providers; they also concerned the role of teachers in this process as well as the importance of synergistic interaction between all of these.

The core question posed in the area of adult education in Botswana was how education can contribute to economic development, improved quality of life, disease prevention (mainly HIV infection), greater interconnection and a democratic society.

A delegation of nine representatives of the Ministry of Education, Non-Formal Education Department from Botswana and the Adult Education Department of the University of Gaborone came for a professional visit to Slovenia that took place from 5 to 10 November 2007. The visit in Slovenia, which was aimed at participatory project training of teachers in Botswana, was financially backed by the Unesco Participation Programme and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and technology as well as the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO.

Delegation from Bocvana visiting the Postojna Cave, 10th November 2007.

Delegation from Botswana during their professional visit to the participants of the Project Learning by Young Adults (PLYA) programme in Murska Sobota in 2007.